Wine & Cinema: A Beautiful Friendship

I thought I’d talk about Wine in Cinema this month. There are a lot of fun movies that either have wine as the backdrop to a story or make it the focus of the film.

Year of the Comet (1992) A romantic comedy adventure film about the pursuit of the most valuable bottle of wine in history.

A Walk in the Clouds (1995) A man meets a young (pregnant)woman on a bus and agrees to pose as her husband. The story unfolds around the family’s winemaking traditions.

French Kiss (1995) A woman becomes entangled with a Frenchman who dreams of having his own vineyard, after gambling away his family’s vineyard plot.

Sideways (2004) A buddy film where two guys go to California for a wine centric vacation before one of them gets married. Filmed in beautiful Santa Ynez. This movie got a lot of Americans drinking Pinot Noir.

Mondovino (2004) Set in ten countries, “Mondovino” weaves together the family struggles of succession from the all powerful Mondavis of Napa, to three generations of Montilles in Burgundy. This movie is about internal struggles and conflicts between huge corporations, middle class families and peasant laborers.

A Good Year (2006) A British investment banker who inherits his uncle’s Chateau and Vineyard in Provence, learns some life lessons in the process of trying to sell it.

Bottle Shock (2008) The story of the famous “Judgement of Paris” when California defeated French wine in a blind tasting initiated by British sommelier Steven Spurrier.

A Heavenly Vintage (2009) in 19th century France, a peasant winemaker endeavors to create the perfect vintage.

Blood into Wine (2010) A documentary film about the Northern Arizona wine industry, focusing on Maynard James Keenan and Eric Glomski and their Caduceus winery.

Somm (2012) Four sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam. A test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.

Red Obsession (2013) The great Chateaux of Bordeaux struggle to accommodate the voracious appetite for their rare, expensive wines, which have become a status symbol in booming China.

A Year in Burgundy (2013) this documentary follows seven wine-making families in the Burgundy region of France through the course of a full year and delves into the cultural and creative process of making wine, as well as it’s deep ties with the land.

I hope I’ve given you some fun movie ideas to add to your Netflix queue.

Wine Quote of the Month- “Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” Galileo

Our White Wine of the Month is the Goyette Chardonnay 2012, Sonoma Coast of California. It has apple, honeysuckle, and rosewood notes with a cream finish.

Our Red Wine of the Month is Monte Olimpo, 2011, Rosso. A blend of Nero’d Avola and Syrah from Sicily. It has intense cherry flavor, a nice earthiness and a hint of spice.

We will be tasting Cabernets and Merlots on January 6th. I hope to see you there. Wine Club members please come in and pick up your wines before they’re gone.